Franz Janke

19th Century Slovakian architect

Franc Janke

Born| 1790
Died| 1860(1860-00-00) (aged 69–70)
Occupation| Architect

Franc Janke (1790-c. 1860) was a Slovak-born Habsburg engineer and architect who was invited to Serbia by the City of Belgrade's Public Works department to design new, contemporary buildings in the style befitting Serbia in the 1830s.[1]

Shortly after a Hatt-i Humayun (also known as Hatti-sherif) in 1830 and gaining some independence from the Ottoman Empire, Prince Miloš Obrenović realized that the local staff could not realize his idea of ​​a new city, so he asked for help from a citizen of Imperial Austria.[2][3] The first "government engineer" was Slovak Franz Janke. Janke came from Vienna on the recommendation of Cvetko Rajović, the then-mayor of Belgrade.[4] Janke stayed in Serbia for nine years in the most difficult times of its renewal. He was fired during the politically charged dynastic changes in 1839. The continued prevalence of Western architectural concepts in Serbia has been credited to him.[5] He is credited with the Cathedral, Đumrukana (Customs House) in Karađorđeva Street demolished during World War II, the first building in Belgrade in the spirit of classicism, then the facade of the State Council in Ulica Kraljice Natalije 29, also demolished, the house of Cvetko Rajović, later Realka High School Building (or Realschule)[6][7] on the corner Uzun-Mirkova and Tadeuša Košćuška, and the urban plan of the wider area around the corner of Kralja Milana and Kneza Miloša. Cvetko Rajović's house is the first residential building in Belgrade built under the influence of Western-style, expertly and with a rich facade decoration.

Other architects soon followed him such as Czech-born Jan Nevole, German-born Johann Franzel, Italian-born Josif Kasano, Nikola Živković, Atanasije Nikolić, Filip Hristović, Pavle Djakonović, Konstantin Radotić, Janja Mihajlović, Nikola Jovanović, Jovan Ristić, Kosta Šreplović, Andrea Andrejević, Andrija Vuković, etc.[8]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Conley, Tanja D. (February 25, 2020). Urban Architectures in Interwar Yugoslavia. Routledge. ISBN 9780429686450 - via Google Books.
2. ^ Ivić, Pavle (November 21, 1995). The History of Serbian Culture. Porthill Publishers. p. 232\. ISBN 9781870732314 - via Google Books.
3. ^ Mišković, Nataša (2008). Basare und Boulevards: Belgrad im 19. Jahrhundert (in German). Böhlau Verlag Wien. p. 155\. ISBN 978-3-205-77566-9.
4. ^ Kardosch, Velizar M. (November 21, 1996). The Principality of Serbia: Postal History and Postage Stamps, 1830-1882. V.M. Kardosch. ISBN 9783952108314 - via Google Books.
5. ^ Serbian Studies. North American Society for Serbian Studies. 1999. pp. 39–40.
6. ^ Ćorović, Ljubica (November 21, 2004). Belgrade Tourist Guide. Kreativni centar. p. 98\. ISBN 9788677812423 - via Google Books.
7. ^ Popović-Živančević, Mila (November 21, 2007). Condition of the Cultural and Natural Heritage in the Balkan Region: Proceedings of the Regional Conference Held in Kladovo, Serbia from 23th to 27th October 2006. National Museum in Belgrade. p. 423\. ISBN 9788672690903 - via Google Books.
8. ^ http://www.heritage.gov.rs/cirilica/Download/Saopstenja/Saopstenje-X-1974/Saopstenje_X_1974_Pregled-spomenika_arhitekture_u_Srbiji_XIX_veka.pdf[bare URL PDF]